Japan Crate is a snack subscription box that sends out snacks and candies from Japan. In addition to the Premium Box, Japan Crate also offers a Mini Box, along with Doki Doki, Kira Kira, and Umai Crate.
This is a review of the Japan Crate Premium Box, which is $35 a month.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Japan Crate Premium
The Subscription Box: Premium Box by Japan Crate
The Cost: $35 per month + free shipping. Save with 3, 6, and 12-month subscriptions.
The Products: 15 snacks including a drink, 1 guaranteed DIY kit, and a revolving bonus item
Ships to: Internationally with a few exceptions found here
Japan Crate Premium Box October 2018 Review
It's the Japan Crate Halloween edition! I am so excited for all the spooky goodness! Included in our booklet this month is a description of each snack, which is super helpful if you don't read Japanese.
Let's dive in!
Burnt Caramel Osatsudoki - Retail Value $3.50
I am a sweet+salty nut and these were amazing. In addition to being caramel flavored, they were also thick, crunchy, and buttery. I absolutely adored them and want about 5 more bags to myself.
Halloween Koala March - Retail Value $1.25
We have similar little koalas at my local Target so I have indulged in them before. They are filled with chocolate and each of the pieces has a cute little koala.
Scary Story Gum - Retail Value $1.50
This packet only had one piece of gum that looked more like something illegal than gum. I couldn't place the flavor but it was tasty. It also came with a curse card, promising either sweet dreams or nightmares. I cannot read Japanese, so I am not sure what I got, but I did sleep soundly that evening.
Chee-Zack - Retail Value $1.50
This little orange snack had a VERY strong and almost offensive cheese smell. Once I got past that, I really liked the taste. It was over the top cheese in a light airy crunch. It was also filled with a cheese cream, similar to the stuff sold between crackers here in the States.
Peko Peko Konpieto - Retail Value $0.75
These candies were so tiny! They had a pleasant sweet flavor and while they were hard you could easily crunch on them. They also turned my entire mouth dark blue which was super fun for Halloween.
Makai Drink Succhimaoze - Retail Value $5.00
Apparently, the cute little monster on the packaging is actually a demon from hell who likes to make fancy drinks to power up. It reminded me more of Mrs. Puff from SpongeBob SquarePants than hellspawn. This little drink was kind of involved to make but the result was DELICIOUS. You basically pour the powders in a specific order and create these little berry and grape flavored jelly bubbles and then a citrusy foam. It is wild.
Delicious.
Halloween Alphabet Chocolate - Retail Value $0.30
These cute little blocks have letters on each one and different flavors inside such as milk, pumpkin, and vanilla. They tasted really similar to treats you would find here locally and were super cute.
Halloween Chocobat - Retail Value $0.75 (found here for $0.56)
This wasn't for me. The chocolate outside was okay, but the super airy and crunch center. It was pretty bland.
Chibikko Mikan - Retail Value $1.50
This packaging was just the cutest! The top pumpkin pops off so you can access the tiny little candies inside. They are orange flavored, sweet and mild.
Halloween Tara Tara - Retail Value $2.00
NOPE. These chips are basically dried cod strips and were very pungent. I couldn't get past the smell to really try these, but they were salty and that is all I know!
Halloween Fettuccine Gumi - Retail Value $4.50
These Disney Tsum Tsum candies were one of my favorite treats this month! Multiple little bags came in a larger bag, so you have plenty to share. All of these were grape flavored and had huge sugar crystals. I enjoyed sharing them with some coworkers and we all loved their mild and sweet flavor.
Halloween Kyachan - Retail Value $4.00
These were another favorite for me this box. Each little hard candy changed color/flavor from grape to peach, lemon, or blue as you enjoy them. They had a very tasty flavor and were in a large bag with single serve pouches. There was even a rare clear candy with gold flecks!
Halloween Tsubu Gummy - $Retail Value $3.00
I don't generally enjoy anything remotely jellybean-like but these are not traditional jellybeans at all! They were a good mix of sweet and tart and included ramune, cola, apple, and grape flavors as well as a mystery flavor. The bag was a bigger size and I thought they were absolutely yummy.
Akabe Kurobe Gum - Retail Value $1.50
This gum was weird but enjoyable. It kind of had a fruity and cola flavor going on, which was unlike anything I have tried before in the gum world. One stick turns your mouth red and the other turns your mouth black. I enjoyed giving my unsuspecting husband the black gum.
Skeleton Ramune - Retail Value $2.00
I did not enjoy this candy. The idea was great and I usually like ramune anything but these skeleton pieces just tasted like chemicals.
Horror Mask - Retail Value $2.00
This mask was downright creepy and perfect for the Halloween box theme. It included rubber bands for wearing it and cute tiny apple candies.
Halloween Kit Kat - Retail Value $0.60
I think these Kit Kat minis are just the normal original flavor. (I tried them after attempting the cod chips so I might be wrong). The packaging is cute and on theme, but I would have enjoyed trying some of the harder to find flavors.
Halloween Mini Rumando - Retail Value $0.30
These were just ok. They reminded me of the Chocobats from earlier in the review. Kind of bland but still tasty.
Pepsi J-Cola Midnight - Retail Value $3.00
I replaced my morning Red Bull with this cola one morning this week. I knew it was a cassis flavor and since I love anything with currants, I was intrigued. While I am not a regular Pepsi drinker I absolutely loved this! It had an almost grape flavor which mixes surprisingly well with Pepsi. I recommend it as ice cold as you can get it! Everyone who saw it was intrigued, and I loved the flavor.
The Verdict: Oh Japan Crate, I love you and all of your surprises. There were so many delicious things this month! The whole box felt super festive and there was so much variety included. Even though I was unable to even truly test the cod chips and felt that the chocolate bats were dull, the rest of the box more than made up for those items. It was nice to receive such large amounts of the Tsum Tsum Gumis and the Kyachans that I could share. The box retail value is $38.95 and is worth even more to me since it was so thoughtfully curated.
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No, order by 12/30 to receive the December box. From Japan Crate:
Crates are shipped on a rolling schedule with three schedule shipment dates every month.
Coupon - Use coupon code MSA3 to save $3 off your first Japan Crate Premium, Doki Doki Crate, Umai Crate, or Kira Kira Crate!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $35.00 a month (including free shipping), and I received a total of 19 items in this box. That breaks down to a value of $1.84 per item.
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What did you think of the October Premium Box by Japan Crate?
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